FAW Audi hands creative account to Dentsu Creative and Saatchi & Saatchi in China

Dentsu Creative and Saatchi & Saatchi have jointly secured the FAW Audi creative account in China, a significant move in the automotive advertising sector. This dual-agency model places both Dentsu Creative and Saatchi & Saatchi at the forefront of FAW Audi's marketing and creative strategy in one of the world’s most competitive and lucrative automotive markets.

FAW Audi—a brand co-owned in China by Volkswagen Group and FAW Group—is a major player in the automotive sector, making this account win particularly important.

Saatchi & Saatchi, the incumbent, has won the contract for the fourth time. It has been associated with the brand for eight years. The current remit comes with a two-year contract for creative services, as confirmed by a Publicis Groupe spokesperson.

Campaign has learned that Dentsu Creative has also been brought on board as a lead agency, signaling FAW Audi's intent to diversify its creative strategy.

Campaign understands this shift comes after a major controversy in 2022 when M&C Saatchi, which previously worked on the FAW Audi account, was accused of plagiarism. The agency faced backlash for a video ad featuring Hong Kong star Andy Lau, which was found to have copied content from a Chinese influencer. The incident led to public apologies from both Audi and M&C Saatchi, with the influencer eventually licensing the content to Audi for free.

This new alliance is expected to rejuvenate FAW Audi's brand image in the highly competitive Chinese market.

At the time of publication, FAW Audi China did not officially comment on the new agency appointment.